Meet our in-house Dapper Built team. Hi! We're the Kusick family- Dean, Lauren, Loula, and Effie.
When we started Dapper Built eight years ago, our oldest daughter was only four months old. A little while later, our second daughter was born and I (Lauren) left teaching to be at home with our girls, as well as work alongside Dean.
Dean is a cabinet maker by trade with over 20 years of experience in the home building and renovation industry. His early work with larger home builders allowed him to work every position on a job site, hone his skills and discover his passion for full home construction. Dapper Built was born from a love of the complexity and detail home building requires, and a desire for excellent client experience.
Over the years, our family and our business have in a way, become one. Scheduling, construction processes, and project progress are common dinner time conversations. Coffee dates while we head to meet clients, little visitors at job sites; we are proud to say this is a family affair.
Our passion is old homes. We love the stories that live in those walls and the opportunity to collaborate with our clients and trades to create spaces that maintain character and meet family needs. Whether it's adding square footage or reconfiguring a full layout, we are always hands-on in each project.
Thank you for following our journey!
#dapperbuilt #yychomes #yychomebuilders #yychomedesign
A TV room with this kind of natural light and downtown view, is our kind of TV room! This third floor bonus room features a south facing balcony that has a full skyline view of downtown Calgary. It also has a coffee station, bar area, and a half bathroom. It's easy to see why it's our clients favourite spot in the house to retreat to after the kids have gone to bed.
Styling: @codinaste + @dapperbuilt
Photography: @genevievereneephoto
Dean moved to Calgary in 2006, and I followed in 2013 after we met, (or re-met... that’s a story for another time!). A big part of why we love what we do is the community and opportunity for meaningful connections.
We love a good “paths crossing” story and this project is a great one... it turns out that our client’s niece was our youngest daughter’s preschool bestie. How sweet is that!?
Photography: @genevievereneephoto
Styling: @alexandrajoywig
One of our favourite things about photographing our client’s home once a project is complete, is working with their existing furniture and fixtures in our photoshoots.
Staging and styling with their own pieces, allows a client to see their space with fresh eyes and realize that curating home decor is more about telling their story than following the trends.
Photography: @genevievereneephoto
Styling: @dapperbuilt@hannah.e.hayes
This beautiful basement moment was once a storage closet turned elegant wine room. Designed and built in-house, we made sure to consider form and function in this unique project. The room is temperature controlled and lockable, and includes all custom maple cabinetry with travertine tiled floors and custom sealed 10 mm glass.
Styling: @codinaste
Photography: @genevievereneephoto
Our clients wholeheartedly put their trust in both Dapper and the ridiculously talented design team @in.house.design + @alannadunn ... and the results speak for themselves.
Photography: @philcrozier
These clients knew exactly what they wanted and needed out of their main floor renovation. With one being a local Calgary chef, the kitchen was a top priority.
Ease of movement and entertaining was at the forefront of the design and floor plan, while the kitchen was designed around specific chef selected appliances.
Some of the beautiful kitchen features include leathered granite, maple butcher block countertops, and a stainless steel backsplash.
Another favourite project in this home, is the custom quartz and walnut dinning table that Dean designed and built from an inspiration photo from our clients. It seats up to ten guests and we can only imagine the kind of food, conversation, and dinner parties that happen here.
Styling: @alexandrajoywig
Photography: @genevievereneephoto
With busy careers and three young boys, these clients wanted a designated home gym space but with the ability to engage with and keep an eye on their boys while working out. We designed the space with floor to ceiling glass walls so mom and dad can squeeze in a work out while the kids play floor hockey or watch a movie in the rest of the space. A perfect family balance.
Styling: @codinaste
Photography: @genevievereneephoto
This primary bedroom design is proof you can still achieve that light and airy feeling in a room while adding pops of colour. Especially when you have such great natural light and views.
This feature wall was a bold choice but it works when perfectly paired with neutral and natural textures throughout the room. Who wouldn't want to wake up to those city views?
Styling: @codinaste
Photography: @genevievereneephoto
When you pour your heart, soul, time, and energy over several months into someone's home, receiving a message from your client like this:
"We had such a great experience working with Dean, yourself and your team. You were completely transparent with pricing and there were absolutely no surprises with the final invoice, completed the project almost exactly to the day you originally told us and the quality was top notch. We are really hopoing to tackle some more projects in the near future with Dapper"
It literally means everything to us. I may or may not have teared up reading our client's kind message.
Styling: @alexandrajoywig
Photography: @genevievereneephoto
January was filled with all the things.
There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes in a month, it’s fun to look back and see a snippet of those moments.
We continued to move forward with our current projects, went on new client meetings and referrals, design consults, product sourcing, and had so many site visits with trades.
We compiled estimates, created project plans, and worked through the endless piles of paperwork that comes from running a small business.
We began working on groundwork’s and framing for our personal project and I finally hung some art in our home to help distract from that 😅
We prioritized family time wherever possible… even if it was picking up a coffee and treat before heading over to a job site. #january
Can you spot that handsome furry fellow, Tom Petty? The sweetest mouse hunter there ever was and hands down made this kitchen shot infinitely better.
If you personally know Dean and I, then you know we LOVE animals. We have 5 of our own (3 cats and 2 dogs) and we lease a horse for our oldest. Our girls insist that when our home is bigger, we will "need" at least another dog and cat... only time will tell...
Also, how much do you love the darker features in this kitchen? Would you do dark cabinetry?
Photography: @genevievereneephoto
Styling: @dapperbuilt + @hannah.e.hayes
